Five Star hotels charge anything from R1500 per room
per night (for two). Breakfast is usually not included in the price.
Family suites that sleep four cost from R1900 per night.
Top guesthouses may charge from R350 per person per night for a designer
bedroom en suite and serve a lavish breakfast included in the price. Good
B&Bs offer comfortable en suite rooms with a substantial breakfast and
charge from approximately R150 per person per night. Travellers who settle
for basics may budget anywhere from R50 at backpacking lodges to cottages
at R100 per night that sleep four people comfortably. Winter season
specials offer travellers up to 50% discount on standard rates.
Whatever you decide, you'll need to remember to book
ahead. Cape Town is at its fullest over the peak summer months of December
and January.
For more accommodation information visit Cape Metropolitan Tourism's
website www.gocapetown.co.za
When visiting Cape Town visitors will mostly arrive and depart by air.
Once here, getting around is relatively simple and convenient, whether by
rail, taxi, inner city bus or hired car.
Air Travel
The Cape Town CBD is merely a 20-minute drive from Cape Town
International Airport. There are 21 airlines serving Cape Town, ensuring
that the city is an accessible and convenient destination for travellers
from all corners of the globe. For example, there are over 15 direct
high volume flights between Cape Town and London Heathrow alone each
week.
International airlines flying into Cape Town include:
- Air Mauritius
- Air Namibia
- British Airways
- Egypt Air
- KLM
- LTU
- Lufthansa
- Malaysia Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swazi Express Airway
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
Domestic airlines which link Cape Town to other cities in South
Africa:
- British Airways/Comair
- Civair
- Kulula.com
- National Airlines
- Nationwide Airlines
- SA Airlink
- South African Airways
- Sun Air
Shuttle transportation
Bus:
Intercape Shuttle (PHONE: 021/934-0802) operates a minibus service
between the city and the airport for R30 per person. Buses drop
passengers off at the station on Adderley Street. Buy tickets at the
Intercape Shuttle desk in the domestic arrivals terminal or, after
hours, from the bus driver. Buses depart every hour.
A door-to-door service with the same company costs between R80 and
R100.
Cape Town Tourism runs a shuttle to and from the information centre
for R30.
Taxi:
Taxis are available at stands outside the terminals. Only those
with airport licenses are allowed to pick up arriving passengers, and
drivers must use the meter. Expect to pay about R130 for a trip to the
city centre.
Travel in comfort in a stretch
limo from Cape Limo Services (PHONE: 021/785-3100) for about R350 an
hour.
Railway Transportation
Cape Town Station is situated in the center of CBD, and the
functional Metro Rail system connects the city centre with the northern
suburbs, southern suburbs and the Cape Flats
Station
Cape Town Station, Adderley Street.
Information
Tel : 021/449-3871. Reservations office Mon.-Thurs. 8-4:30, Fri. 8-4,
Sat. 8-noon. AE, DC, MC, V.
Distance from the city centre
Cape Town's train station is in the heart of the city.
Major connections
-
Mainline Passenger Services' Trans-Karoo runs
daily between Cape Town and Johannesburg; the trip takes about 25
hours and costs R375 first-class.
-
The Southern Cross makes the 24-hour trip to Port
Elizabeth on Fridays and back on Sundays (R235 first-class);
-
The luxury Blue Train makes the Cape
Town-Johannesburg run three times per week and the Cape Town to Port
Elizabeth run once a month; call 021/449-2672 for information and
reservations.
-
The Rovos Rail Pride of Africa (021/421-4020),
another luxurious train, also travels from Cape Town to Johannesburg
and up the Garden Route.
Bus and Car Transportation
Car rental
Hiring a car, from any one of a number of national or international car
hire companies, is a good way to see the winelands of Cape Town and
hinterland.
Most major international car hire companies operate
from the airport and have city depots
Cape Town is linked to the rest of the country by
three major national roads, the N1, N2, and the N7. Good provincial
roads link the smaller towns in the Western Cape such as the R27 which
links Cape Town with the West Coast, and the R310 that links Muizenberg
to the Strand and Somerset West.
Bus
Long-distance bus transport from Cape Town is available to all the major
centres around the country as well as to Windhoek in Namibia.
There are some 1200 buses in the metropolitan
commuter bus fleet, operating on 700 routes in and around Cape Town. The
station complex on Adderley Street is the arrival and departure point
for all intercity buses.
-
Greyhound (1 Adderley St., PHONE: 021/418-4310)
offers daily overnight service to Johannesburg and Pretoria; the
one-way fare is about R360.
-
Intercape Mainliner (1 Adderley St., PHONE:
021/386-4400) operates a far more extensive network of routes in the
Western Cape than does Greyhound, with daily service up the N7 to
Springbok (R230) and Windhoek (R350), along the Garden Route to
George (R120) and Port Elizabeth (R165); a bus also travels daily to
Johannesburg (R325).
-
Translux Express Bus (1 Adderley St., PHONE:
021/449-3333) offers a similar network of routes at comparable
prices.
Taxi
Cape Town’s metered taxi operators have a proud record of helping
visitors make the most of their stay.
